Car-fender.



W. D. RUSSELL.

GAB. FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1912.

1, 1 08,869. Patented Aug. 25, 1914.-

W/TNESSES: I i/[z'am flzzsse ZZ.

ATTORNEY STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. RUSSELL OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

Application filed July 26, 1912. Serial No. 711,722.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WVILLIAM D. RUSSELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Worth, in the county of Tarrant and v State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in street car fenders.

Its object is to provide a fender adapted to befitted to an extremity of a street car,

-and adapted to undergo an automatic swinging motion when an obstacle is, en-

outer extremity provided with a verticalaxis of rotation, the fender being so correlated with the piston of an air cylinder,

that an automatic displacement of the piston will resultwhen the fender encounters an obstacle, Said displacement resulting in an angular displacementof the two fender members about their pivotal axes, which displacement will sweep the obstacle from the track of the car.

Finally the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, simple and efficient and comparatively easy to construct, and one that will not be likely to get out of working order.

With these and various other objects in view, my invention has relation to certain novel features of construction and operation, an example of which is described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of my fender together with the frame work and running gear of a car, the body of the car being removed. The car frame is shown equipped at both ends with the herein described fender, the fender at one extremity being shown in its normal position, and at the other extremity being shown'swung to the position occupied after an obstacle has been encountered. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a street car equipped at both ends with the herein described fender, which is shown in itsnormal position. Fig. 3 is' a detailed view in elevation showing a portion of one of the two members which comprise each 'rods 6.

fender. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the mechanism which establishes the relation between the compressed air system of the car and the fender. Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view showing aportion of the same mechanism, the section being taken upon the line y-g of Fig. 1.v

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the supporting frame of a traction 'car of ordinary construction. This frame has the usual arcuate ends. At each side of each end of the frame, a vertical hinge rod {2 is mounted and has its upper end bearing in the underside of the frameandits lower .end supported in a hanger 3, the latter depending from the frame, as shown in Fig. 2.

At each end of theframe 1 a pair of fender 'frames each comprising arcuate members 4 and 5 respectively, are mounted on the rods 2 and arranged to swing. The respective members .4 and 5 at each side of the frame are tied togetherby -vertical The fender frames are equal in length and normally lie contiguous to the arcuate ends'of the car frame 1 and have their free ends abutting at the center of said car frame ends. The fender frames normally lyingunder the arcuate ends of the frame are free to be swung outward as shown in Fig. 1.

of a pair of vertical rods 9, which have their lower extremities secured to the inner edge portion of said fender member. These rods are mounted in 'a pair of side bearings 10, secured to the members 4 and 5. The vertical rods 9 have their upper extremities projecting slightly beyond the upperniost side bearings 10. and" each projecting rod portion carries a coiledfsprin 11 suit-- ably confinedthereomwhereby said rod and the fender member are resiliently sustained. The two rods 9, adjacent to thefree ends of each pair of members 8, have their upper extremities bent at right angles and projecting a slight distance inwardly over the frame "1 as indicated in the drawing run at 12. When a pair of fender members are in their normal position beneath the end of the frame. 1, the free ends of the members 12 are inuuediately over a plate 13, carried by' ue arm of :1 hell crank '14. The )ivot pin of the bell crank is supportet l at the rear extremity of an inwardly projecting bracket luember 15, which has its other end rigidly mounted upon the center of a curved beam 16 extending beneath the areuate. end of the frame 1. From the other arm of the hell crank H a rod 17 is extended inwardly under the. frame 1 and is so connected with an air valve '18 as to control the same through a longitudiual displacement.

'lhe valves 18 are interposed in an air pipe 19 adapted to control the passage of air from a. compressed air tank 230 to air cylinders '21. centrally mounted beneath the car longitudinal thereof. piston 22 is adapted to undergo a sliding displacement within each cylinder 21, and has connection with a piston rod 52 which rod has its outer extremity pivotally attached to a pair of curved swinging links 24-. one extending to the free end portion of each member 4, a description of the oicration of the fender members at one end of the car sullicing for both.

in the operation of the above described device, when a person or an obstacle of any kind is struck by the car, the weight. of the person or obstacle coming upon either one or both of the fender members 8 will produce a downward angular displacement of either or both of said members, the pivotal mounting of the members upon the pins ,7 making such a displacement possible. The amount of downward displacement to which the fender members 8 may be subjected is limited by the amount of compression adapted to take place in the springs 11. lhe rods 5), since their lower extremities have connection with the fender members. will also be subjected to a slight downward displacement. The downward displacement. of the two rods ti, which have their upper portions tEZ bent rearwardly will cause the extremities of said portions 12 to exert a downward pressure upon the plate 13, thereby subjecting the. bell crank 14 to a. rocking motion, which will result in a rearward displacement. of the. rod 17. This rearward displacement of the. rod 17 will he sullieient to open the valve 18 aml admit compressed air to the evlinder 21. Consequently the piston 22, which normally occupies a position at the one. extremity of the cylinder 21. will be displaced to the other extremity of said cylinder, eommuuicatin' a corresponding motion to the piston rod 93. Since the inner extremities of the curred links Q-t are pivotally attached to the outer end of thepiston rod 23, they will be made to diverge from eachother, and will thus produce an outward angular displacement of the. two fender frames carrying the fender members 8. During such outward displacement of said" frame, the person or obstacle lying upon either of the fender members 8 or in contact with the same will be swept from the path of the car. A tank similar to the tank 90 forms a part of the air l 'akc equipment of all modern street cars which are also provided with means, not shown for compressing the air in such tank. The tank '20 is adapted to be charged with compressed air through a )ipe extending transversetv from said tanit and communicating with a three-way valve 26. Said valve also has comnuunc-ation with two pipes 27 and 2 one of which leads to an air compressor and the other to the cylinder which operates the brakes. -\\"hen the valve 18 is opened admitting air to the cylinder 21, the consequcnt lowering of the air pressure in the tank 20 causes the air brakes to be. nutomatirally set. Thus it is apparent that when any person or object. is struck by the car. equipped with the herein descrilnal fender. the air brakes will he. auton'mtically set and will stop the car, and simultaneonsly. the two members comprising the fender will swing apart, sweeping the person or object from the patli of the car. In case fo' any reason, the person or object struck is not swept aside. by the. fender, a further safeguard is provided in the nature of a heavy mesh wire. screen 29, extending downwardly from the curved end portion of the frame 1, aml having its lower edge spaced a short distance above the track. This screen will catch any )UISOII or object that passes the fender, and will effectually prevent such person or object from passing beneath the car wheels.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as properly come within the scope of the following claims:

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pair of fender frames mounted upon the end of a street car frame. of means having the nature of vertical pivots for supporting the ends of the fender frames at each side of the ear frame whereby said frames may be swung laterally from each other, a device arranged to swing the fender frames laterally with relation to the longitudinal center of the ear frame, an air cylinder, a piston operating in the cylinder and connected to the said device, a valve controlling the passage of air into the cylinder, a valve oierating device, aml depressible parts carried by the fender frames having means for engaging the valve operating device.

2. In a device of the character described,

flu vmubiuatiorl with a street car frame, of a pair of fender frames mounted at one eX- trcnuty of the car frame, a vertical pivotal axis for one end of each fender frame, the adjacent ends of the fender frames being free to be swung, a cylinder and piston rod centrally mounted beneath the car frame longitudinally thereof, a valve controlling the passage of air into said cylinder, a rod adapted to actuate said valve extending from the valve to the extremity of the car frame at which the fender frames are located, a bell-crank lever having one arm connected to-the actuating rod, and means correlating the bell-crank lever with each fender frame whereby a downward displacement of said means swings the bell-crank lever.

In a device of the character described, the combination with a car frame, of a pair of fender frames having their adjacent ends free and. their opposite ends pivoted on the car frame, a spring sustained fender part mounted on each fender frame, a valve actuating device mounted on the car frame, means for operating the actuating device connected to the spring sustained part of each fender frame and normally out of engagement with said device, an air cylinder,

a piston working in the cylinder and connected to the fender frames, a valve controlling the passage of air to the cylinder, and a connection between the valve and the valve actuating device.

4:. In a device of the character described, the combination with a car frame, of a pair of fender frames having their adjacent ends free and their opposite ends pivoted on the car frame, a spring sustained fender part mounted on each fender frame, a bell crank lever mounted on the car frame, rods connected to the spring sustained parts of the fender frames and having projections extending over the bell-crank lever, an air cylinder mounted on the car frame, a piston Working in the cylinder, links having pivoted connection at their extremities with the fender frames and the piston, a valve controlling the supply of air to the cylinder, and a connection between the valve and the bell-crank lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM D. RUSSELL.

lVitnesses: v

CALLIE MORGAN, E. R. WILLIAM BRUCKNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl,

Washington, D. C. 

